The apartment building was condemned, half its windows boarded up, graffiti sprawled across crumbling brick. It sat on the edge of the city like a forgotten tooth, the kind of place heroes only visited when chasing shadows.

But Ochako had been chasing your shadow for weeks.

She stood in the doorway of what used to be a tenth-floor unit, the door long since kicked in by someone else, sometime else. The floor was littered with takeout containers, old newspapers, scattered belongings that looked like they'd been abandoned mid-escape. Through the broken window, the city sprawled below, glittering and indifferent.

And there you were, perched on the windowsill like you owned the sky itself.

The silence between you was different than it used to be. Heavier. Sadder.

You didn't turn around immediately. You knew who it was.

"Didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come alone." Your voice carried that familiar lilt, but there was an edge now, something sharp and guarded.

When you finally glanced over your shoulder, Ochako was already watching you. She looked different than you remembered. Her hero costume was scuffed, dirt smudged across her cheek, dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept in days.

But those eyes, warm, determined, impossibly kind, they were exactly the same.

"I'm not stupid," Ochako said quietly, taking a careful step inside. "I'm your friend."

Your laugh was bitter, hollow. "Friend? That's cute, Ochako. Real cute."

She flinched, just slightly, but kept moving forward. Another step. Testing the distance between you.

"The incidents around the city, the fires, the break-ins, the people who got hurt..." Her voice wavered, then steadied. "I know you know something. I know you're involved."

You turned fully now, one leg dangling over the ledge, wind tugging at your clothes. The look you gave her was cold, challenging.

"And what if I am?"

Ochako's hands trembled at her sides, but she didn't look away. She never did.

"Then I need to understand why." Her voice cracked, raw and desperate. "I've been looking for you for almost a month. Everyone else thinks you're just another villain to take down, but I—"

She stopped. Swallowed hard.

"I still see the person who used to laugh with me. Who used to dream about saving people. That person is still in there, I know it."

The air between you felt fragile, like glass about to shatter.

You hopped down from the windowsill, landing with practiced ease, and took a slow step toward her. Your expression was unreadable.

"You came all this way to save me, hero?" The word 'hero' dripped with mockery. "How noble."

But Ochako didn't back down. She met you in the middle of that broken room, standing her ground.

"I came because you matter to me. Because I'm not giving up on you." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Even if you've given up on yourself."

The weight of those words hung in the dusty air.

And for just a moment, something flickered across your face. Something almost like regret.

Ochako took one more step forward.

"Please. Just talk to me."